“Bad dreams?” Johnny sounded sympathetic and unsurprised. “It can happen when you’ve been ill, can’t it? Everything gets disrupted.”

“I guess so.” Lucy was surprised by his perspicacity but as a naturally private person she hesitated to confide in him. “I remember you saying you were staying at Gunpowder Cottage whilst the dig is on,” she said. “Have you got the blue bedroom, the one with the window seat? That’s where I stayed when I came to visit Verity as a child.”

“That’s the one,” Johnny said. “Beams so low I keep hitting my head on them, and that amazing paneling... It must have been such an exciting place to visit when you were a kid—a place full of hidden corners and spooky old passageways. Your imagination could run wild.”

“It was lovely,” Lucy said. “It felt like a house full of possibilities. I don’t remember feeling it was haunted. Not then.”

“But now you do?” Johnny looked curious.

Lucy hesitated but was saved from answering by the arrival of Finn and Geoffrey, coming up the path from the lake. Not that it was much of a reprieve; the sight of Finn looking rumpled and unshaven only served to remind her of the previous night’s dream and she felt herself turning hot. Fortunately Geoffrey bounded over the wall and offered his usual effusive greeting which went a long way to restoring her sense of normality. It was almost impossible to indulge in erotic imaginings when a large Labrador was begging for attention. Then she noticed that Finn was averting his gaze from her pajamas, respectable as they were, which made her want to laugh.

“Good morning,” she said. “I hope you both slept well.”

“Geoffrey isn’t the most peaceful bedfellow,” Finn said. “He scratches and snores a lot.” He rubbed his chin where the stubble showed. “I need a shower and a shave. Usually I sleep well down by the lake, but last night I had a nightmare that the woods were on fire. There was some sort of building down by the lake that was burning down.”

Lucy stared at him. That sounded exactly like her vision the night before.

“How strange,” she managed to say.

“I could have understood it better if it had been a flood,” Johnny said. “That would have been Geoffrey coming back from a dip in the lake and shaking water all over you. Would you like some breakfast?” He included Lucy in the invitation. “I’m making bacon and eggs before we start work.”

“You’ve actually got a day off today, remember?” Finn said. “We’re going to Burford for lunch with Lizzie and Arthur.”

“I’ll save the bacon and eggs for tomorrow then,” Johnny said. He smiled at Lucy. “The invitation still stands.”

“Thanks,” Lucy said. “I’d like that. I was hoping to borrow the car today,” she added, “but it sounds as though you’ll be using it.”

“Where did you want to go?” Finn asked. “We can always give you a lift.”

“I’m meeting up with Cleo in Highworth,” Lucy said, “but I don’t want to put you out. I can get a taxi.”